TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Australia announced on Monday that it banned its citizens from traveling to Mosul in Northern Iraq as a part of its efforts to fight radicalism among Muslim Australian youths—some of whom have travelled to fight along with radical Islamists abroad.
Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop pronounce the ban following the announcement of a planned massive asault on Mosul, which would involve some 20,000-25,000 US-trained Iraqi and Kurdish soldiers to retake Iraq's second largest city.
This is the second time Australia has declared a travel ban for its citizens, with the first taking place when it prohibited Australians from going to Raqqa in Syria—known as an Islamic State (IS) stronghold.
"The government denounces the terrorist group and decides to bar its citizens from participating in terrorist acts in Iraq and Syria," said Bishop through a statement as quoted by Reuters.
Last month, the Pentagon sent 10,000 M-16 rifles and other military supplies worth US$17.9 million to Iraq, and boosted the supplies for Iraqi security forces in order to allow them to fight IS, which was previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS).
IS fighters recently uploaded a video of their destroying highly-valuable ancient artefacts in Mosul, displaying IS fighters smashing several 3,000-year-old statues and reliefs with sledgehammers and drills.
Under the new regulation, Australians could face up to 10 years' imprisonment if caught traveling to areas designated as banned by the Australian government.
In September, the United Nations (UN) called on all nations to investigate crimes committed by their respective citizens who had travelled abroad to join a radical group or suspected of funding terrorist organizations.
ANTARA